Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

Hello all!
I’m putting together a Chaos SM list for a beginner player using 2 battleforces, the DV set, a Daemon Prince, a Heldrake and a few other bits and pieces I can gather up. These are the models I have available, and I’d like to maximize their potential in order to make a list that is simple enough for a beginner to play with and still a tough match on the field. The following list is what I’ve come up with; please let me know what you think!

HQ (450)
Chaos Lord (155) – mark of Nurgle, sigil of corruption, Bike, power maul, combi-melta, combat familiar
Daemon Prince (295) – Daemon of Nurgle, aura of dark glory, power armor, wings, the black mace, combat familiar

Elites (135)
Helbrute (135) – missile launcher, TL lascannon

Troops (529)
Chaos Marines (279) – Mark of Nurgle
Aspiring Champion – plasma pistol, power weapon
9 x Marines – flamer x 2, close combat weapon x 7
Chaos Rhino – combi-bolter, dirge caster, dozer blade
Chaos Marines (250) – Mark of Nurgle
Aspiring Champion – bolter, power weapon
9 x Marines – plasma gun x 2
Chaos Rhino – combi-bolter

Fast Attack (386)
Chaos Bikers (216) – Mark of Nurgle
Biker Champion – Power maul, combi-melta, melta bombs
5 x Bikers – 2 x meltagun
Heldrake (170) – Baleflamer

Total – 1500 points

One Marine unit is set up for close-combat, with the intention of running for the enemy objectives, and the other is set up for mid- or back-field objective holding. The Lord will run with the bikers as an anti-armor/deathstar unit, the Helbrute will sit in the backfield for additional anti-armor support, and the Prince and the Heldrake are there for general mayhem.
Thanks for looking!

Alright Nice start to the list, Needs a few touch ups.

Aura of Dark Glory is pointless on a Daemon prince has he already has a 5++ from being a Daemon (IIRC)
The combat familar is not very effective those points could be used elsewhere. Also drop the combat familar on the lord.

Now what i try to do with my troops options is keep them cheap and keep them plentiful. as in having lots of troops for the right price. Both those units are almost hitting 300 points and theyll die fast, Nurgles okay but it isnt good enough to keep them alive. but you have options.

you could make the plague marines taking 5 - 7 with 2xplasma/melta in rhinos for getting them up field onto objectives, or you could scrap all the excess points like plasma pistols and power weapons and just run bare bones CSM with plasmas, No as surviable but it doesnt hurt so much when a whole sqaud gets wiped out.

Im digging the biker unit one of my favs in this codex they look good. I perosnally would take powerfist lightning claw om the lord to give him some extra punch eating through power armour or tanks.

If you got the cultists from DV id run them as well a blob of 20 sitting on your home objective would be decent or you could run 2 sqauds of 10, I dont think it works very well thought YMMV.

Cant go wrong with a Helldrake.

Oh the Helbrute, I want to love this model so badly, but its performance is sub par, ive run this loadout alot on them but i find they just cant do jack. but maybe itll keep the heat off your bikes for a turn.

Anyways Good luck

(GOOD CHOICE ON OPTING OUT ON USING POSSESSED.)

Guitarquero has pretty much covered it all.

If you want to expand obliterators are hard to go wrong with, and if you want a more unusual option, I find spawn are extremely underrated.

I like your list. I love it when people use "sub optimal" units and go against the grain.

 Guitarquero wrote:
Alright Nice start to the list, Needs a few touch ups.

Aura of Dark Glory is pointless on a Daemon prince has he already has a 5++ from being a Daemon (IIRC)
The combat familar is not very effective those points could be used elsewhere. Also drop the combat familar on the lord.

Now what i try to do with my troops options is keep them cheap and keep them plentiful. as in having lots of troops for the right price. Both those units are almost hitting 300 points and theyll die fast, Nurgles okay but it isnt good enough to keep them alive. but you have options.

you could make the plague marines taking 5 - 7 with 2xplasma/melta in rhinos for getting them up field onto objectives, or you could scrap all the excess points like plasma pistols and power weapons and just run bare bones CSM with plasmas, No as surviable but it doesnt hurt so much when a whole sqaud gets wiped out.

Im digging the biker unit one of my favs in this codex they look good. I perosnally would take powerfist lightning claw om the lord to give him some extra punch eating through power armour or tanks.

If you got the cultists from DV id run them as well a blob of 20 sitting on your home objective would be decent or you could run 2 sqauds of 10, I dont think it works very well thought YMMV.

Cant go wrong with a Helldrake.

Oh the Helbrute, I want to love this model so badly, but its performance is sub par, ive run this loadout alot on them but i find they just cant do jack. but maybe itll keep the heat off your bikes for a turn.

Anyways Good luck

(GOOD CHOICE ON OPTING OUT ON USING POSSESSED.)

I agree with this advice. The 5++ is free for the Daemon rule, so drop the Aura of Dark Glory.

Drop Mark of Nurgle on the CSM troops. The extra toughness is nice, but they don't get FNP and Fearless, so you might as well spend the points and go straight to Plague Marines.

I would take one of your CSM squads and run them as Plague Marines. A unit of 5 can take 2x special weapons (I like plasma), but a unit of 7 is great. Bring the cultists in as a blob to sit backfield objectives, but keep them cheap. I think the points you free up dropping Aura, the combat familiars, and maybe the dirge caster/dozer blade should be enough for a minimal group of 10 with autopistols.

You are lacking in heavy support, obviously. If they will let you proxy, try some of the spare marines as an obliterator or two. You may have to drop a rhino and a biker to do it, but obliterators with Mark of Nurgle are always effective.

Anyhow, you're off to a good start.

Good luck,
-Aeglos

If you really want to take the helbrute, most people agree that the best loadout is for shooting, with a Reaper AC and ML for 115 points of decent 48" range firepower. Just take 1 to sate your helbrute possessing thirst.

What about taking a unit of Plague Zombies as troops to sit on a home objective?

They are good, cheap and resilient, but you would have to take Typhus

Have to agree with the posts above:

Damon Prince would be better as a MoT prince re-rolling failed armour and invul saves results of 1, not to mention a 4++.

Drop the Helbrute and find points for a second Heldrake. A single Heldrake is too easy to disable. A pair is much more difficult to hide from.

Plague Marines over Chaos Space Marines with MoN. They can get 2 special weapons in a 5-man squad, but most run them at a fluffy squad size of 7.

As always, just my 2¢

Thank you all for your insight. I've changed a few things on the list as per your input. I know the helbrute isn't overly hot, but my buddy really likes the model, so I'm sticking with it. I'm giving it the option of LC or Reaper AC; in the latter case, the extra points will go to more PG on the marines. He likes flamers, so I stuck a couple in the marine squads. The bikers stayed the same, I think that will be a hot unit, and I gave the Lord a PF and LC. That does seem like a good combination. A second Heldrake would be nice in favor of the Helbrute, but I'm operating on a budget and it won't be possible right now.
Would it be better to drop the Helbrute's LC in favor of two more plasma guns on the marines?

Thanks for looking.

HQ (430)
Chaos Lord (165) – mark of Nurgle, sigil of corruption, Bike, PF, LC
Daemon Prince (265) – Daemon of Tzeentch, power armor, wings, the black mace

Elites (135)
Helbrute (135) – missile launcher, TL LC

Troops (540)
Plague Marines (270) - VotLW
Plague Champion – Bolt Pistol, power maul
7 x Plague Marines – flamer, plasma gun
Chaos Rhino
Plague Marines (270) - VotLW
Plague Champion – bolt pistol, power maul
7 x Plague Marines – flamer, plasma gun
Chaos Rhino

Fast Attack (392)
Chaos Bikers (222) – Mark of Nurgle
Biker Champion – power maul, combi-melta, melta bombs
5 x Bikers – 2 x meltagun
Heldrake (170) – Baleflamer

Total – 1497 points

 changerofways wrote:
If you really want to take the helbrute, most people agree that the best loadout is for shooting, with a Reaper AC and ML for 115 points of decent 48" range firepower. Just take 1 to sate your helbrute possessing thirst.

Reaper is 36" range...